Rural/Farming / Public News Service

Family farm advocates say not only are they worried about so-called factory farms getting federal conservation funds, they also contend there's little oversight of the money that is awarded to them. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, December 8, 2023

Some SD farmers unhappy with industrial ag getting conservation funds

Agriculture accounts for more than 10% of greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States. Advocates for small farms in South Dakota hope the next Farm …

Rural advocates are pushing for more protection for independent producers in the next Farm Bill. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Rural groups push for environmental protections in next Farm Bill

Even though the current Farm Bill has been extended for a year, rural advocates are speaking up about protecting independent and family farms when …

The Farm Credit System is cumulatively the largest lender to the agricultural sector, making about 45% of all agricultural loans, with $350 billion in assets. (Dusan Kostic/Adobe Stock)

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Report calls for changes in Farm Credit System to address fairness, sustainability

A new report is calling for greater accountability in the system providing funding to farmers in underserved communities. The research takes a dive …

the National Young Farmers Coalition delivered a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership signed by 175 national, regional and local organizations in support of the Increasing Land Access, Security and Opportunities Act. (Johnstocker/Adobe Stock)

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Young farmers advocate for climate changes, face land-access issues

Young Farmers in Michigan hope the new Farm Bill will include key benefits regarding land access so they can continue to pursue farming passionately…

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Land-access keeping young farmers from leading climate action

Young farmers in Missouri hope the new farm bill will include key benefits regarding land access so they can continue to pursue farming passionately…

Global warming is impacted by atmospheric ammonia and nitrogen oxides, both from animal waste and fertilizers. (Adobe Stock)

NASA grant funds study on impact of farming techniques on greenhouse gases

NASA-funded research using satellites to study atmospheric nitrogen will examine how different farming approaches affect greenhouse gas emissions…

Report calls for more accountability, sustainability in Farm Credit System

A new report calls for greater accountability in the system that provides funding to farmers in underserved communities. The research takes a dive …

Report: Farm Credit System needs an update

A new report calls for greater accountability in the system that provides funding to farmers in underserved communities. The research takes a dive …

According to the National Family Farm Coalition, the average U.S. farmland value is now $3,800 per <br />acre, the highest since the 1970s. (Adobe Stock)

ND farmers still navigate corporate land-ownership policy maze

North Dakota's farming landscape is seeing policy shifts dealing with corporate ownership of agricultural interests. Now, there's fresh debate at the …

Report: Increasing accountability, sustainability in Farm Credit System

A new report is calling for greater accountability in the system providing funding to farmers in underserved communities. The research takes a dive …

The stress of farming is compounded for racial and other minorities, a new study suggests. (Adobe Stock)<br />

For beginning nontraditional farmers, stress is a constant

Women, LGBTQ, and minority farmers in Ohio face compounding stressors, according to a study from Ohio State University. Researchers surveyed and …

Research work led by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute found while massive flood events call attention to cost impacts for state and local governments, increased frequency of mid-scale flood events can wear on rural communities. (Adobe Stock)

Taxpayers, like farmers, can get a bang for their buck from conservation funding

If you live in a flood prone community, soil health from nearby farmland may have something to do with it. Ag voices in Wisconsin say government-…

If the United States shifted 180,000 acres, or 0.2% of its corn acreage, of genetically modified corn to non-genetically modified, it would generate $7.75 million in additional revenue for U.S. farmers and successfully meet Mexico's shifting needs, according to Farm Action. (Adobe Stock)

Mexico's GM corn ban opens market for American farmers

Mexico has issued a ban on importing genetically modified corn from the U.S., potentially opening a new market for American farmers. Mexico is the …

According to Clean Jobs Midwest, 1.7 million homes are powered by the clean energy generated in Michigan, and the industry employs 123,983 people in the state. (pinkrabbit/Adobe Stock)

Sweeping clean energy bills passed in Michigan

New clean energy legislation in Michigan has passed and is heading to the governor's desk to be signed into law. Backers of the bills said they will …

Around 400 million acres of American farmland are projected to change hands this year in what amounts to the country's largest-ever generational land shift. (Practical Farmers of Iowa)

Young Iowa farmers struggle for a leg up

Today is the deadline for small farmers seeking financial assistance to apply for grants from a farm advocacy organization designed to help them get t…

The National Young Farmers Survey found 62% of Northeastern farmers attribute changes in weather events they are experiencing on their farms to climate change. (Adobe Stock)

Young NY farmers want Congress to help them withstand climate change

Young farmers in New York and across the country want Congress to help them deal with the effects of climate change. Bayer's Farmer Voice Survey …

For now, U.S. farmers have certainty about commodity policies and other USDA programs with the Farm Bill being extended another year. But conservation groups hope Congress is aggressive in approving a robust long-term plan well before the next deadline. (Adobe Stock)

Sigh of relief for Farm Bill, but advocates stress it's temporary

This week's move by federal lawmakers to advance another temporary government budget also means the Farm Bill, which recently expired, is extended…

Community-based organizations applied for grants from $5,000 to $20,000, to support and actively promote the Healthy School Meals for All program locally. (Adobe Stock)

Free Healthy School Meals for Public School Students Underway

After Colorado voters approved a measure to provide free meals to all public school students regardless of their ability to pay last year, 41 …

Using federal incentives, the USDA is calling on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations to add anaerobic digesters that collect methane from manure to be used for electricity. But conservation groups countered it will do little to reduce harmful emissions from industrial ag operations. (Adobe Stock)

Family farm groups blast conservation incentives for industrial ag

Minnesota has been in the headlines over nitrate levels in drinking water and some conservation groups argued industrial farms are being given too man…

Family farm advocacy groups have been fighting the proliferation of manure digesters and related factory farm gas infrastructure. They say independent family farms raising livestock sustainably have been shut out of conservation programs due to lack of funding. (Nina Lawrenson/peopleimages.com)

MO family farmers: Inflation Reduction Act funds not for factory farms

Advocates for Missouri's small family farms have taken to the U.S. Capitol today, to talk with lawmakers about what could be done in the next Farm …

The USDA says producers can increase their environmental stewardship activities through the department's Conservation Stewardship Program. (Adobe Stock)

Family farm advocates suspect profit motive behind some 'conservation' practices

Midwest family farm advocates have sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, opposing recent additions to conservation practices they said …

As a part of a new USDA rule, poultry companies are now required, when finalizing a new contract, to disclose to prospective growers the income range, broken down by quintiles, of current growers in a prospective grower's region. (Tony Campbell/Adobe Stock)

USDA rule to benefit North Carolina farmers, strengthen competition

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's new "Transparency in Poultry Growing Contracts and Tournaments" rule is granting North Carolina farmers more …

Around 11,900 acres of the historic Bohart Ranch east of Colorado Springs used by U.S. Air Force Academy cadets have been permanently protected. (Adobe Stock)

SOAR aims to conserve open space, military readiness

The skies above the historic 48,000 acre Bohart Ranch and a remote airfield on the property serve an important role for the United States Air Force Ac…

Iowa has nearly 31 million acres of farmland. The average farm is about 360 acres, according to the USDA, and much of is monitored with high-tech equipment. (Iowa State University Extension Dept.)

Iowa farmers concerned with e-data use by corporations

New polling data show Iowa farmers are taking advantage of high-tech agriculture practices, and more plan to do so. But some say there's a downside …

Congress averted a government shutdown in September by approving a temporary spending plan. But time is running out to come up with long-term appropriations, and political observers say a lot of uncertainty looms over budget talks. (Adobe Stock)

Wisconsinites warn of negative outcomes if federal programs are cut

Congress has one week to approve a new federal spending plan or risk a government shutdown, and some Wisconsinites are calling on lawmakers to keep …

Farms are in a unique position to slow global warming by reducing methane emissions, which are more than 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2. (Adobe Stock)

Removing barriers and making space for next generation farmers

As Congress drafts the next Farm Bill, the National Young Farmers Coalition is calling on lawmakers to tackle climate disruptions and racial equity …

Farmers and ranchers steward about 44% of the United States' landmass. (ZoranZeremski/Adobe Stock)

Stalled farm bill will likely affect Ohioans

The once-every-five-year Farm Bill will likely be extended to six years this time around, as Congress seems months away from finding a path forward…

More than 10 trillion gallons of water have been lost from the Colorado River basin between 2000 and 2021, according to a recent UCLA study. (Paul Moore/Adobe Stock)

AZ celebrates Colorado River conservation agreements

Arizona leaders are celebrating the federal government's just over $63 million investment for water conservation, efficiency and protection of the …

Farmers in Illinois and across the country are concerned over whether Congress will complete its work on a new Farm Bill by the end of the current term. (Adobe Stock)

Farm Bill delays could affect food benefits for many Americans

The once-every-five-year Farm Bill will likely be extended to six years this time around, as Congress seems months away from finding a path forward…

Delayed Farm Bill could affect millions of Americans

The Farm Bill, typically renegotiated every five years will likely be extended to six years this time around, as Congress seems months away from …

As of 2021, there were more than 17,000 farms with at least one certified organic crop, compared with only around 150 certified biodynamic farms in the United States. (sjredwin1/Adobe Stock)

Biodynamic farming views farms as living organism for greater sustainability

By Ellie Kuckelman for The Reader.Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-P…

Cedar Rapids, in eastern Iowa, had only 15.5 inches of rain in all of 2022, which is about half of what it would normally get by early October. (Adobe Stock)

IA implements first-ever drought plan

The State of Iowa has just put its first-ever drought plan to work to help it manage one of the longest and most severe dry periods in recent history…

Federal officials say the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides funding opportunities for smaller communities to improve their water infrastructure. (Adobe Stock)

Biden pushes rural investment message with MN visit

President Joe Biden was in southern Minnesota yesterday to highlight federal investments for rural America. Biden visited a farm near Northfield to …

A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency found 58% of methane emissions from landfills come from food waste. (kpn1968/AdobeStock)

Continued food waste in U.S. alarms states with high food scarcity

A new government report highlighted the urgent need to keep food waste out of landfills, noting 30% to 40% of food produced in the U.S. is never …

Rural Webster County, Iowa, uses money offered by the state to test water wells. Some 43 million Americans rely on private wells for their water, but many don't have those wells tested for water quality. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)

Rural IA boosts efforts to test private wells

By Tony Leys for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collabor…

Around 80% of voters, regardless of political affiliation, believe preventing cruelty to animals is a matter of personal moral concern, according to a Data for Progress poll. (Adobe Stock)

Local meat producers in PA rally against EATS Act

Advocates for locally controlled family farms in Pennsylvania say a proposed amendment to the 2023 Farm Bill would gut states' ability to regulate the…

New Mexico lawmakers this year passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights, which provides students free breakfast and lunch regardless of their income. (USDA)<br />

USDA unveils new alliance to strengthen school food procurement

As part of October's National Farm to School MonthNational Farm to School Month, the Department of Agriculture has announced a new effort to improve …

A legislative analysis of the EATS Act from Harvard says it

Family farm advocates in MA rally against EATS Act

A coalition of animal-welfare and family-farm advocates say a proposed amendment to the 2023 Farm Bill jeopardizes states' ability to regulate their o…

The Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint has set a deadline for watershed states to have pollution-reduction practices in place by 2025. (flownaksala/AdobeStock)

Halfmoon, Pequea Creek restoration project aims to restore watershed health

Pennsylvania has received more than $3 million in federal funding for watershed restoration projects. Conservation groups say it will help the state …

Around 10% of workers in the United States are employed with H-2A visas, according to The National Agriculture Law Center. (Adobe Stock)

North Carolina farmworkers and growers call for better working conditions

Migrant farmworkers and small family farmers in North Carolina got together to form an alliance to advocate for sustainable agricultural supply chains…

About 345,000 hogs and pigs live on Wisconsin farms, according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service - Hogs and Pigs report. (Adobe Stock)

WI small-farm advocates push back on CAFOs

Family-farm advocates in rural Wisconsin are pushing back on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs, as the livestock industry becomes more …

Emerging farmers lack the economic opportunities of more established farmers, and face substantially greater barriers to success, according to the University of Minnesota. (Adobe Stock)

Scandia event addresses lack of land access for new farmers

Emerging farmers in search of land across Minnesota will be able to foster relationships with landowners at a free event in Scandia this coming Sunda…

About 80 Ukrainian farmers learn best practices and ask questions during middle-of-the-night Zoom calls when ISU Swine Veterinarian Justin Brown teaches sessions on disease, biosecurity and feed management. (Iowa State University/Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders)

Iowa experts teach Ukrainian farmers

Livestock and grain experts in Iowa are sharing their experience with Ukrainian farmers who are trying to keep their hog operations viable despite the…

The number of wolves in Wisconsin is estimated at 1,000, up from 200 when the state adopted its first management plan in 1999. (dnr.wisconsin.gov)

Wisconsin's wolf management plan back in the spotlight

The long-awaited Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan is up for adoption next week by the state's Department of Natural Resources, and the board will …

Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, speaks with Andy Naja-Riese of the Agricultural Institute of Marin at the Clement Street Farmer's Market in San Francisco. (Felice Thorpe)

Anti-hunger advocates seek federal funds, honor CA lawmaker

Groups that fight hunger are calling for a fair shake in the upcoming farm bill, which provides federal matching funds for programs that help low-…

The latest drought map released on Oct. 5 by the U.S. Drought Monitor has officially placed most of Alabama in the category of currently experiencing moderate to extreme drought. (Adobe Stock)

Alabama farmers struggle with worsening drought conditions

Amid worsening drought conditions in Alabama, farmers in the state now have access to vital resources to help combat the challenges they are facing…

Farmers typically feed their cattle ground-up corn plants, including the stalks, leaves and ears in a mixture called silage. Drought has prompted livestock experts to warn of potentially lethal levels of nitrate in the silage this year and recommend getting it tested before feeding in to their cattle. (Adobe Stock)

Experts warn of dangerous high-nitrate cattle feed

Livestock experts are warning farmers about high nitrate content in their cattle feed this fall because of Iowa's prolonged drought. Farmers …

Climate change board games emphasize teamwork and group success. Either all players win together, or no one survives. (dvande/Adobe Stock)

Board games help players understand climate change

By Debra J. Rosenthal for The Conversation.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Missouri News Service for the Public News Service-Conversation …

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Rural/Farming